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Brinkley Covers FDR

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    Historian Douglas Brinkley on his new book on 32nd president of the United States.

  • Duration 7:43
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-- Hey good morning Kia are -- I'm doing fine and you're right -- here in Austin.

Just working on a book and doing baseball when he worked -- -- Well I do my son Johnny's turn to baseball team so I've been coaching and so -- -- -- little more effort into that than usual all the zoning.

He's ten years old and we just got one of those machines.

Pitches.

It's the last police -- this machine page so we've been doing that every day eastern -- well.

-- and I'm working on a book on FDR.

And -- have -- a lot about the 1930s.

And forties and America's land to win all the drought hit in the soil erosion.

And down how FDR with his writing about -- polio.

How he could move around and I went to warm springs Georgia recently working used to go to the thermal pools.

With the other -- -- that's quite a moving.

Historic site there just what Charlie get around but he planted two billion trees.

And nearly depression years to create all these shelter -- And -- writing about the WPA in the CCC.

Girlfriend and he species to stayed -- there he taker this call pine mountain -- take current country.

Drives.

You know it's obvious accorsi industry -- -- at warm springs that he went to dinner.

618 long trips as president.

And then -- go on his yacht and -- disappear even during World War II four.

You know ten days to weeks at a time he went to the coop -- to see all the Darwin sites there he'd hang out in the Caribbean still a lot of it was that he would the only place when he was on a yacht that he didn't.

Worry about having to move around -- be photographed as disabled.

A lot of it was just a ruse to get away.

The same -- he created Camp David -- -- law to get out of them media clear Washington and it worked.

American those states no -- would report were at your -- because.

The fear of folks sabotage her assassination.

To he would kind of -- all over the coast and nobody would ever know where the president wants.

-- -- a lot of this stuff flawed.

Also on -- to Doris -- you're going to have to our own.

He had no ordinary time and it's a great great book in.

And I do I've been re reading that -- just blow it Eleanor Roosevelt I don't.

I'm -- got pick -- up with the idea I want I'm writing with FDR whenever he would fill out -- form would -- -- -- -- for our tree grower.

He used to so Christmas trees salt of the as the Hyde Park property.

-- what -- got struck with polio or street became his.

Was really -- vocation form and he started applying that the nation at large.

That any saved a lot of these national -- so O'Keefe an Okie swamp hum.

Everglades big been Kings Canyon Olympics who throw FDR perks.

I don't cents while learned an alarm.

Bells and -- -- -- -- -- voted on the team there.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- come through in her book they're not but it woman named Blanchett -- cooks and we're so proud problems.

Yet there and you.

Usual extorted erode FDR don't really is we all have learned don't expect well that's right we're talking -- that a lot of great writers of our generation -- cycle during a million -- -- Doug Bradley at some incidentally are.

Once this new novel Lipton awarded governor road rules when they grow -- -- All of that would he was one of my heroes growing up decide to learn how to play guitar a little bit and I think you famously wrote this plane shortly and -- Folks like Tractor Supply -- Pretty boy Floyd in all these great folks songs that -- grew up in local -- -- moved to the Texas Panhandle.

You know really just -- the traveling circuit all over the southwest plane down.

Carter family style.

Country music and mix and up with some folk ballads.

On -- January when Steinbeck wrote during the -- full -- grapes of wrath -- had an idea.

Why don't -- write about the people but stayed back towards the didn't travel down the road flight to California.

And how did they eke out a living during the Great Depression.

Proud people that would -- their -- and and so he's it is the book Kosovor -- about four.

For Texans that wouldn't leave their land and fought for the not only can multiple elements put against big banks and big -- As a it's real good I -- it sequentially that'll I was doing some research and I.

Dealt with the country estate up enough just -- New York in the it was.

Long story won't bore you with but eventually I think it was -- eureka moment and I found his only novel.

It was -- published.

And the -- and the I've found that yeah.

Me now I've discovered that they've missed -- it was about my great discoveries -- my lifetime.

It was I couldn't believe it when -- credit -- that it wind was so completely realize we're.

Did you -- tomorrow it's a fly and automatic somewhere one.

Kind of yes it would -- Oklahoma arms he's gotten given to aids so little -- story -- we of radio time that a filmmaker named Irving -- in California would he would send it to him.

Also a public letters to Eddie Albert -- TV actor acres -- a good friend of Woody's.

But -- big found that he said it's trying to get a movie made and that's the only known copy will recently -- this April or opening new Woody Guthrie museum.

In Tulsa Oklahoma a real one a big big museum there and this guy is a state of California heard about it and they send it to.

Oklahoma on and I was looking forward right when it kind of was you know appeared -- -- -- have a librarians also Oklahoma.

We're concerned we're.

We didn't stumble on your -- are looking for -- I was actually looking for all that I was being being sure it's gonna strike out.

-- ready eighty random letter that Alan Lomax a -- colleges said.

I have just read -- helped overcome and a drop everything I -- due to make this a big deal -- you know this is unbelievable work.

But yet patent he will mex had discovered led billion people in the -- work for The Library of Congress -- -- didn't write in the hyperbole.

And I thought oh gosh if you read it it's got to exist somewhere -- -- didn't and I in the way but I just kept pursuing it with the idea that a copy had to be somewhere -- it -- -- strange moment -- -- that we published in on the new impressed with Johnny Depp for harpercollins.

And -- and -- -- out.

And you and -- and -- wrote the and -- reduction.

Well then it became -- -- Mickey Erica steps a friend of mine -- I read this and I knew he was in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

And then at Monument Valley.

Filming Lone Ranger working playing -- so -- these giant Disney film out this summer.

And -- but he's a gigantic Woody Guthrie fan and so -- FedEx.

Charlie a copy of the just to read on the set.

-- -- he read it in in loved it and we decided he was getting ready to open up -- a book imprint term.

-- beta play forward and so law.

We've done it with them money for the book go to the Woody Guthrie foundation.

God -- -- fascinating.

Terrific story.

Yet with all part of what he thinks -- Nora Guthrie -- daughter and I've become good don't get.

Good pals through at all.

And -- dog not great.

Our man I should talk of -- -- that's ever gonna part of my Persian.